Rex Ryan is considering returning to the NFL for at least the second year in a row.
The former Jets head coach has interviewed for the defensive coordinator position with the Dallas Cowboys, according to multiple reports. CBS Sports’ Josina Anderson first reported the news.
The Cowboys are looking for a new defensive coordinator after Dan Quinn left to become head coach of the Washington Commanders.
Ryan, 61, interviewed for the defensive coordinator position last year after the Broncos hired Sean Payton as head coach, but Denver brought back former head coach Vance Joseph as defensive coordinator.
Ryan has not coached in the NFL since 2016, when he was fired on Dec. 27 with one game remaining in his second season as head coach of the Buffalo Bills.
Since then, he has been an NFL analyst for ESPN.
The Cowboys also reportedly interviewed former Vikings coach Mike Zimmer and recently fired Commanders coach Ron Rivera for the position.
The hot-blooded coach got off to a great start in his first NFL head coaching job with the Jets in 2009, taking them to back-to-back AFC Championship games but falling short of the Super Bowl each time.
However, the Jets failed to make the NFL playoffs during Ryan’s final four years at Florham Park, and Ryan was fired after a 4-12 record in the 2014 season.
Ryan last served as defensive coordinator with the Baltimore Ravens from 2005 to 2008.
It’s unclear how serious Ryan is about returning to coaching after a seven-season absence, and he and Cowboys owner Jerry Jones could be a potentially combustible mix. . Ryan’s twin brother Rob was Dallas’ defensive coordinator in 2011 and 2012 before being fired.
Dallas coach Mike McCarthy is under pressure after a humiliating wild-card loss at home if Ryan is eyeing a possible return to head coaching and wants to reestablish himself as coordinator. The Cowboys could be a good landing spot as they enter a year full of progress. To the Packers.
